


Left Them Behind

by PinkRambo



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Death, Gen, Grief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:18:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7714621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkRambo/pseuds/PinkRambo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We know what happened to Jack and Gabriel when they died. But what about their families?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Left Them Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Based on headcanons for Jack and Gabriel's family. 
> 
> Morrison and Reyes are from Tumblr personalities: Gabriel Reyes: http://flor-de-la-muertee.tumblr.com/ and Jack Morrison: http://0ldsoldiersneverdie.tumblr.com/
> 
> Death referenced from: http://0ldsoldiersneverdie.tumblr.com/post/148416522820/no-no-no-dont-die-on-me (We wrote up the whole death scene, but that's the last bits.)

Everyone knew what had transpired between Jack and Gabriel, the terrible explosion that claimed both men not only from each other but also their families. Gabriel Reyes was survived by his 2 siblings, his brother Miguel who was now 18, and his sister Emilia, who was 16. Jack Morrison was survived by his parents John and Mary, and his 4 sisters, Nancy, Cindy, Kathy and Bethanne. The news of the explosion at the Swedish base came as a large surprise to the whole family. With the Reyes children living with the Morrison’s, they were all in one place. Everyone became more fearful when both Jack and Gabriel were reported as missing.

John Morrison would remember the day he came home to military vehicles with glaring clarity. His wife’s high pitched scream of agony, his hands catching her as she collapsed in misery. Taking their medals, both Jack and Gabriel’s. His hands shaking as he thanked the men for their service and led Mary inside. His thanks to the gods that the kids were all at after school activities or at their jobs. 

Telling the kids had been the hardest. Over the last few years, Gabriel had once again grown close to his siblings. John had to be the bearer of bad news to them, telling the two Latinos he considered two of his own that Gabriel wouldn’t be coming home. Miguel took it hard, raging and slamming out of the house, but he worried over Emilia who was looking terrified like the day that Nancy had brought her here originally. Once John got her to tell him what was wrong he pulled her to his chest. “No _niña_ , we won’t send you away. You both are part of this family, and we’re not going to give you up.” He said, which sent her into tears and clinging to him. 

For weeks, the Morrisons and Reyes mourned the loss of their family. Everything seemed to be fine, besides the occasional breakdowns, and depressive silences, until Thanksgiving, when everyone got excited thinking that Jack and Gabriel would come walking through those doors coming home with more wild tales to tell. Mary even set out two places for them, before everyone remembered that they weren’t coming home anymore. To cope with her depression and the family’s down attitude, Nancy started drinking and heavily, something that followed her back to Central City. 

It went on like this for years, the only thing that changed was that the family started to move on. Every year at Christmas, mysterious packages started to show up for everyone with no return address and no hand writing. Every family member got something they needed, something special. 

It was ten years after the explosion, marking when Jack would have been 45 and Gabriel would have been 46 when Nancy started to sober up and met a man she was able to love, Miguel met a girl to call his own. And gifts kept arriving every Christmas, along with a presence that comforted Emilia and Miguel. However the following years were not kind to Mary Morrison who succumbed to a Cancer they didn’t catch in time. Less than a year after, John suffered a fatal heart attack and followed his wife. 

Miguel, now 31 and married, was capable of running the farm, something John had taken the time and energy to train him to do, leaving it to him in his will. Miguel did so, with the lovability and assurance that John had when he had ran it. And like the benefactor knew that Mr. and Mrs. Morrison had passed on, gifts arrived at the house around Christmas, without a gift for either of them, but instead included the significant others of both Nancy and Miguel. 

Miguel started to ignore the presence that showed itself at Christmas, but Emilia continued to believe that it was the angel that her brother had become checking in on them every year, even at 29.

Nancy hit the ripe age of 60 and was forced to retire due to an injury. She moved back to the farm, remodeling one of the many bunkhouses for her family of four. That Christmas, the gifts didn’t come, and neither did the spirit.

Instead, from the dark on Christmas Eve an old Soldier trudged up the walkway, a long black coat held in his hands, his body covered by his usual attire with an embossed 76 on his back. He knocked on the door, and it was answered by Emilia, heavy with child. “Sorry I’m late. Years too late.” Jack said bitterly. 

“ _Dios mío_...Jack?” She asked, shocked and stepped back to allow him in. 

There was shock, anger and betrayal on the faces he looked at. Nancy stood, looking excessively weary. Slowly she walked to him, limping from her injury that had forced her to retire, and slapped him across the face. “You let us all believe you were dead Jack?” She hissed, her voice full of venom. “You let mom and dad believe you were dead, and they died believing it. Fuck you Jack. I hate you so fucking much. Why did you have to come back now? We had all moved on.” 

Jack kept his face turned and gave a small sniff. “Because I needed the comfort of home, one last time.” 

“You needed...HOLY SHIT JACK WE NEEDED YOU!! WE FUCKING NEEDED YOU AND YOU DIDN’T OR COULDN’T HAVE THE DECENCY TO LET US KNOW YOU LIVED!” Nancy threw her hands up and her voice went eerily quiet, before she continued. “The main house belongs to Miguel, but I’ll be damned if you’ll come into my home Jack. Stay away from my family.”She said before glancing at Miguel who was rather calm all things considered. 

“I will not come eat here if he joins the family table. As far as I’m concerned Jack died in Sweden. That’s when and what he can stay.” Nancy turned and left, her husband a mess of apologies as he collected their two kids who were very confused as to what was going on. 

Jack turned to Miguel who looked so much like Gabriel it was breaking his heart. “I had to impose Mr. Reyes, but may I stay for just a few days? I’ll stay out of the way.” Jack said.  


Miguel nodded. “A few days. Then we’ll need to talk.” He said before his wife stood and moved to lay a hand on Jack’s arm. “Come on Mr. Morrison, let’s get you settled.” She led him up the stairs to the room he had shared with Gabriel during the first trip here. He removed his dogtags, 2 rings of gold silver hanging on them. One was his engagement and wedding ring, long ago soldered together to prevent him from losing them, and other was Gabriel’s. 

He got as comfortable as he could after locking the door. Vivid memories of watching Gabriel dissolve away from him haunted him as he stared at those ring with their dogtags. He cried again for the love that he had lost, the love he hadn’t been able to save. 

The next few days were tense. He didn’t leave his room unless he was sure Nancy wasn’t going to be there because he didn’t want to upset her anymore. She had every right to be angry at him. He would have been angry at her if their positions had been reversed. He didn’t answer the door to anyone except for Bethanne, his youngest sister who actually just unlocked his door and walked in. They didn’t talk, just sat there in silence as she lightly stroked his arm in comfort. At the end of that short visit, her only words were “I’m glad you’re home and alive Jack.” 

Jack was always in Gabe’s old sweater from his Blackwatch days, and whenever he had to venture outside, it was that long black coat Gabriel had worn during his time as Reaper. He didn’t put the rings on, he didn’t wear his dogtags. During the short respite between Christmas and New Year’s, Jack and Miguel sat down and talked, Jack telling Miguel nearly everything, including that Gabriel had taken a shot meant for him and had wound up actually dying this time. Miguel in turn told Jack everything that had happened, and leaned forward on the desk that separated them. “I will not give up this farm. It’s my life, your father made sure I had a purpose after Gabriel died. However, if you want, we can always use extra hands. There’s the foreman’s cottage where you can live, expense free. I will pay you proper wages, and you will work the ranch portion. Does this suit you Jack?” 

“More than you could know Miguel. Thank you, so much." He paused, unsure of his next question. But he opened his mouth and asked anyway. "Are you mad at me, for not coming home sooner?” 

“No. I wouldn’t have wanted you back without Gabriel. And since there is no possibility that he will be back now, then I would rather have you around to remind me of what a hero my brother was.” Miguel replied, before leaning back. “Nancy will have a harder time coming to terms with this. She turned into an alcoholic after you and Gabriel died. It was only in the last ten years that she’s managed to pull herself together.” He paused before texting for his wife to come to the study and bring the kids. “Jack, may I introduce my wife Juanita, and my two lovely children, Gabriel and Jack?” He smiled at the other man. “We figured it appropriate to name them after you both.” 

Jack smiled back and nodded. “It means the world to me. Thank you Juanita for showing me kindness when you didn’t know who I was.” 

“Oh Jack, _mi querido_ , Miguel has been full of stories about you and his brother and all the good you did in the world. I knew who you were, and I would have done the same even if you had been a stranger.” Jack felt tears well to his eyes as he realized how much like his mother Juanita was. She immediately hugged him tight, comforting him while the children pulled at his pant legs. 

“Miguel, you lucked out.” He said, resting his head against her shoulder. 

“Tell me about it.” The Latino replied with a smile at Jack. 

That same reunion happened with all his other siblings, Emilia hugging him tight, thanking him for giving her eldest brother the love he deserved during those years that they had been together, before introducing him to her husband, and stating that they were going to name their first son John after his father. 

Kathy already had a brood of children, and told Jack that she was likely expecting another one, and was married to a lovely Italian man. Cindy was married to a lovely woman, who showered her with kisses. Bethanne was engaged to be married, and Jack could see how much she loved her husband to be. 

New Year’s was a quiet affair, well as quiet as it could be with a brood of children running around and nearly as many adults hanging around. However, noticeable in her absence was Nancy, though her husband and children joined the festivities. 

Jack moved into the foreman’s cottage after checking for any issues. His stuff was shipped to him, and he settled in. Every night he drank a single shot of tequila, one of Gabriel’s favorite drinks. He stared at those rings, hanging on his dogtags which rested on the lamp, every night before he fell asleep and woke up facing them every morning. His heart ached and he missed Gabriel more with each passing day. 

Months passed, without Nancy and Jack talking. The farm was fairly large, and Nancy spent most of her time in town working with the small town sheriff’s office. Jack worked the ranch, and kept up his appearance. He usually wore his visor out on the field to protect his face, and see better. 

It was one fateful night, almost half a year after Jack came home that there was a knock on his door. He had just finished off his shot of tequila before he was getting ready to turn in for bed. Curious who was calling at this time of night, he moved over and opened the door. “Can I come in Jack?” Nancy asked, looking decidedly embarrassed and uncomfortable. Jack stepped back and she entered, looking around the small cottage. 

“I owe you an apology...But you owe me one too.” She said, as she sat down at the kitchen table watching him. “I’m sorry for not coming over here sooner. I had to deal with so much shit when we thought you were dead, and all I could think of was my unnecessary pain that I was put through, not thinking about the pain it must have caused you to stay away that long. I just wish you can told us that you were still alive Jack. Mom and Dad died thinking they had outlived you, and that’s never something a parent should ever have to deal with.”

Jack sat down across from her and put his hand over top of hers. “I’m sorry for putting the entire family through that. For the longest time, thinking of coming back here and facing Miguel and Emilia was so hard. Knowing that I had let their brother down, let him get killed. Then recently, when I could have contacted you or come home...I was so thrown into finding out why Overwatch was taken down from the inside that it wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I had to find out why I had to be killed. Then I found Gabe again...only because he took a shot meant for me. And he died in my lap. I just needed to be surrounded by my family after that. I had suffered his death alone once. I couldn’t do it again.” Jack’s eyes swam with tears again, and he put his head down on the table cradled by his arms. Nancy was on her feet and sitting next to him, holding him. 

“It’s okay Jack. You never have to go through anything alone ever again. My husband has spent the last six months convincing me to forgive you. But I had already forgiven you the moment you walked in. I just had to forgive myself.” Without hesitation, he turned to his sister and held on. “I just miss him so damn much. The Spanish I could never quite understand, his arms holding onto me, and his love...God damn it I even miss his possessive jealousy Nancy. I miss him so much it’s killing me.” 

She held him and ran a hand up and down his back. “I know Jack. It’s okay to miss someone you loved. But they’re never truly gone till you forget about them, and you will never ever forget about Gabriel, Jack. I know you. You never forgot a damn thing in your life, except for all that Spanish you learned in high school.” She said, which drew a choked laugh from her brother. 

“We were going to get married. He had asked me, just a few months before we had to attend that meeting in Sweden. I had gone out and bought the rings, and he was so damn happy with my choice.” He whispered, holding onto his sister with a near death grip. 

“Show me. I want to see the rings that would have bound my brother to the love of his life.” Nancy said, as Jack slowly let go of her, and moved to his room, getting the rings from his room, and bringing them out. His wedding ring was soldered to his engagement ring, both nearly identical except for the reversal of colour. “The goldish silver were the wedding rings. That other one, with the blue sapphire in it, that was the ring he asked me to marry him with.” Jack said as he lightly touched them. 

“Wear them Jack. Then he will never be far from you, and he’ll always be with you. It will hurt less with time, I promise. Your death stopped hurting for the most part years after. It won’t stop right away. You’ll still find days where it’s impossible to get out of bed, but you will have to. You have a job to do, for him.” 

Jack looked at his sister not understanding what she meant. 

“Jack you have to live, not just for yourself, but also for him. He would never forgive you if you just stopped living because he did.” With those words, she slipped the rings off the chain and slid them onto Jack's fingers. "Never, ever forget what he meant to you. Always remember that in the end, he loved you."


End file.
